Gorillas of the Rainforests

Though mainly terrestrial because of their large size, young gorillas regularly climb trees to forage and play. Around 50,000 gorillas remain in Africa, 2,500 in the Eastern Lowland, and 600 in the mountains, making their species endangered.

Female gorillas are usually shorter than males and weigh much less. Females tend to reach about 4 and a half feet and weigh close to 200 pounds, while the males are around 5 foot 6 and weigh close to 400 pounds. They walk on all fours, curling their fingers into fists and walking on the soles of their feet. They will walk upon just two feet, but it is usally no further than 20 feet. Gorillas have an enlarged intesting to help them digest the foods that they eat. Gorillas also have no tail.

Their eyesight and sense of smell are excellant and are more pronounced than a human's. A gorilla can smell human sweat or the musk produced by another gorilla. This sense of smell helps greatly in mating season.

Gorillas usually travel in packs of 6 to 7. A head male will protect females from predators and from unknown gorillas. When females are mature, they will leave their family and go join a small group of males or one of mixed. A male will leave his family to start his own group.

Gorillas are actually one of the gentlest animals. They only intimidate in times of need and to help their groups escape from danger. They do not like to groom each other like their other primate relatives. A mother and child may do it, but usally that's it. They travel, feed, and rest during the daytime, but sleeping is done at night.

They eat fruits, stems, flowers, shoots, bulbs, bark, leaves, and over 200 other types of plants. They hardly ever drink water, getting all the fluids they need from what they eat. They have never completely clean a place out, leaving just enough for the area to regrow itself.

A newborn will weigh around 3-4 pounds. The female will birth a child about every 4 and a half years if it survives. If it does not, then the process is sooner. The newborn is totally dependent upon it's mother for the first 2 and a half years. Some will even accept a young one that has been orphaned and raise it as it's own.

Gorilla live to be about 30 years of age out in the wild and about 50 when in capture. As Gorillas are hunted by native people for food called bushmeat to eat or sell, for body parts that are used for amulets or traded as souvenirs, and for protecting crops that gorillas destroy, these numbers greatly vary. We must do all we can to protect these gentle animals.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic